Feeling good in your head, in your body and in your sneakers after two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, we all aspire to it more than ever. But between the stress of everyday life and bad habits (tough), the quest for well-being and fulfillment can be difficult to lead.
But this is not inevitable, and in his last work Health ahead * (ed. Robert Laffont), Dr. Frédéric Saldmann, cardiologist, nutritionist and specialist in optimizing our health capital, delivers his prescription for living a long, happy life and in Olympic form. Sleep, diet or sexuality, 20 minutes reveals five secrets of youth that are simple to implement.
Eat fruit as a starter to avoid gas and overweight
At least five fruits and vegetables a day, here are the recommendations of the National health nutrition program to pamper the body. But what we didn’t really know is that the time at which we consume these portions also matters. Thus, “when you consume fruit, avoid doing so after lunch or dinner, recommends Dr. Saldmann. Their digestion is normally much faster than that of starchy foods or meat, but if you eat them after a meal, it will be slowed down by other foods. The fruits will ferment in the stomach, causing bloating, acidity and flatulence”, while altering the vitamins they contain in the process. In short, everything you don’t want.
More surprisingly, making your dessert an appetizer also helps fight against overweight. How? ‘Or’ What ? This allows “to activate glucokinase, an enzyme that reacts to sweet foods by sending the brain a massage of satiety”, explains the doctor. A phenomenon that also works with other desserts. Savoring a small piece of chocolate cake “as a starter” and “with a fork” will allow you to have fun without getting frustrated and will calm the fork for the rest of the meal.
Lie to rejuvenate
No way to turn into a pathological mythomaniac, but to allow yourself small lies to make you feel young. “You are free to give the age you have decided to have,” says Dr. Saldmann, who understands the weariness experienced by some people when asked, to better then lock them in boxes.
For the doctor, it is “a little lie without consequences that can do good. Affirm it with confidence, straight in the eyes, he advises. You will then act in phase with this spiritual age, adopting the rhythm of life and the mentality of a younger person”.
Attempt tantrism to renew desire
Sex toys, porn accessible in one click, dating apps on which you swipe faster than your shadow: sexuality has become an object of markets to conquer, marketing campaigns, plethoric supply and frenetic demand. A supermarket where abundance, against a backdrop of an injunction to pleasure and orgasm, can in the long run lead to a loss of desire and self-confidence, and even cause sexual problems. Another cause but the same effects: the withering of the libido, with which many couples are confronted. So why not try tantrism to renew desire? Kezako? It is a “spiritual practice based on sexual energy, which has its origins in Buddhism and Hinduism, explains Dr. Saldmann. Within a couple, it makes it possible to discover each other and to explore together the mysterious territories of pleasure”.
Passing on the tantric side of the Force, “desire appears in a new light, since tantrism teaches not to systematically satisfy it, at the risk of seeing its libido disappear. Unsatisfied desire acts as a spark, a driving force that makes you crave the other again and again”. You can thus try tantric massage, which is practiced naked, and which consists of massaging the whole body. This is about refocusing on relaxation and the orgasmic sensations it provides. Enough to raise the temperature and take a dump of “dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphin, all the hormones of happiness”, summarizes Dr. Saldmann. However, happiness “effectively reduces stress”, and lengthens life expectancy “up to nine years”.
Stretch to fall asleep more easily
If like many French men and women, you have trouble falling asleep, why not stretch to better join the arms of Morpheus? “A stretching session before going to bed would have many benefits, such as relieving muscle tension and neck pain, reducing anxiety, preventing cramps or improving self-esteem and mood,” says Dr. Saldmann.
Thus, “for years, in China, tai-chi-chuan – an internal martial art based on flexibility and relaxation – has been used to remedy insomnia problems”. And it works: “practitioners take an average of 18 minutes less than others to fall asleep, and sleep 48 minutes more per night”, specifies the doctor, based on studies carried out on the subject.
Adopt a cat (or a dog) to increase its life expectancy
Picking up droppings, having all your coats and jackets lined with fur and being on kibble duty is nothing when you do it out of love for your cat or dog. And your hairballs give it back to you, since in addition to brightening up your life, having a faithful companion can, in seniors, lengthen life by about 25%! “The presence of a daily companion durably reduces stress,” says Dr. Saldmann in his book. And we say thank you who? Thank you Purr Therapy! And how does it work ? “Purring acts like soothing music, helping to fight against anxiety and loneliness, but also against hypertension and cardiovascular disease,” explains the cardiologist. A sign of well-being in animals, it is a sound that has, in humans, the mysterious gift of reassuring and soothing”.
And man’s best friends (we’re not here to decide between the cat team and the dog team) have many other beneficial effects on our health. Dogs, by requiring their masters to take several daily walks, allow “to go out and practice outdoor activities”, adds Dr. Saldmann. As for cats, in addition to their purring, they promote the good psychological health of their masters, by giving them “a feeling of happiness and confidence, as well as an above-average quality of sleep”. And even babies gain from it, developing fewer allergies over their lifetime than those who grow up in a pet-free home.
* Health ahead. The millennial secret that will change your life, Editions Robert Laffont, 19.90 euros, in bookstores on January 20.